On the boycott of Israeli Universities by the United Kingdom's University and College UnionIt is unacceptable for President Patterson to take a political position on the academic boycott in the name of the entire Trent University academic community. Please send President Patterson an email to this effect: bmpatterson@trentu.ca
The exchange of knowledge and ideas are essential to the advancement of human development. It is through sharing and collaboration that culture, science and civic society will meet the challenges of the future.
The United Kingdom's University and College Union's proposed boycott of Israeli universities and scholars is the union's attempt to show their displeasure over Israel's policies regarding Palestinians. At its most fundamental level, this boycott is a violation of the academy's core values and should be denounced.
Any attempt to constrain the ability of university scholars to engage freely in their research and scholarly activity is an attack on the fundamental value of academic freedom. At its very core, academic freedom must be unfettered by dogmas, religion and political systems.
We live in a world in which universities and their faculty members should seek to promote scholarly understanding and to remove barriers to academic exchange, expression and collaboration.
To this end, I urge our British university colleagues to reject the boycott proposal. Trent University condemns any attempt to limit academic freedom of colleagues, anywhere around the world, and promotes free academic expression as a core value that defines all university environments.
Form email:
To: Bonnie M. Patterson, Trent University President and Vice-ChancellorI am writing to ask that you immediately remove from the Trent University website your 'statement' of condemnation, "On the academic boycott of Israeli universities being considered by Britain's University and College Union," issued by the Office of the President on July 25, 2007. I feel that this statement pre-empts debate about the very grave and pressing issues that prompted the UCU to consider such a significant action. Given that Trent University students are exhorted to learn "to make a world of difference," educators must embrace this controversy as an opportunity to bring a subject of great import before our students, faculty, staff and wider university community. Unfortunately, such an opportunity for discussion is severely curtailed when a single administrator pretends to speak for the entire community. Indeed, the opportunity for real debate was foreclosed by your unilateral decision to issue the statement during the summer holidays when most students and faculty are away from campus. To rectify this situation, I call on the President's office to plan and fund two public forums,
(1) on the subject of Israeli policies on the West Bank and Gaza and their impact on primary, secondary and post-secondary education; and
(2) on the subject of Trent University's response to the proposed academic boycott of Israeli academic institutions.
Until that time, I call on you to retract your statement and desist from further threats or pressure to condemn the proposed boycott.Sincerely, [your name]
